CAMERON BALLOONS LTD

Cameron Balloons, formed in 1970 and now part of the Cameron Holdings Group, holds CAA, FAA, French CNT and German Musterzulassungsschein type certificates for its hot-air ballons. It is the world's largest manufacturer of conventional and special-shape balloons and, by mid 2002 (lataest information received), had produced nearly 5,000 from its main factory in Bristol, of which 352 or more (built or on order) were special shapes. A sister company in Dexter, Michigan, USA, had produced more than 1,200 by that time.
Details of Cameron's conventional-shape balloon range are currently available on the company website.
Cameron also designs and produces hot-air airships, being the first company to develop a craft of this type. Current production hot-air airships are predominantly the DP-80, DP-90, AS 105, the slightly more streamlined AS 105GD and the AS-120. Production of these had totalled 70 by June 2001, comprising three D-38 type, 25 DP type, 10 D-50 type, 20 D-96 type and 12 AS type, in addition to six earlier DG type helium airships. No further sales had been reported by mid-2003.
Shortly after the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks in the USA, Cameron proposed a revival of the barrage balloon concept as a comparatively inexpensive means of defence against such actions. Later that month, it indicated that it was designing a helium ballon for this purpose, approximately 15.24 m (50 ft) long and 6.10 m (20 ft) in diameter. It would use modern materials for both envelope and cable, making it more durable than its Second World War predecessors. No further news of these projects had emerged by mid-2003.